The human body is a fascinating and amazing thing. Particularly when you think that it is capable of much more than most of us ever ask of it.

Some people push their body to the limit in extreme physical and mental acts that seem superhuman. But what are some of the most impressive limits people have reached? And how does the body do it?

Thousands of people seem keener than ever to explore their physical limits leading to the boom in popularity of Tough Mudder, Cross-fit and Warrior Camp type events.

But these crazy cats have got nothing on the Ama. The Ama is a group of Japanese women ranging in age from about 60 to 80 years old who free dive.

I love a splash in the ocean but the idea of descending to depths of more than 40 feet in nothing but a pair of pants makes me feel claustrophobic to the extreme.

Members of the Ama have been pearl diving and collecting their food from the sea for more than 2,000 years and display incredible lung capacity holding their breath for more than two minutes without any diving equipment.

Free diving is one of the most extreme activities we humans can embark on.

Herbert Nitsch is the current world record holder with a free dive of 830.8 feet, holding his breath for more than nine minutes.

At these depths there is virtually no light, and the pressure is immense. Human lungs are squashed like a vacuum packed pillow to the size of two tennis balls!

Low pressure is also a nemesis of us humans. When at altitude, the air is thin and precious oxygen atoms are so few and far between that you have to hyperventilate to get enough. Changes in pressure can kill. In fact any sort of extreme environment – heat, cold, pressure – all push us to the limit. It is at these limits that our body begins to reveal an armoury of survival weapons.

Take for example, the brain with its Bodleianesque library of information, some of it stored in the dusty recesses of distant memory, which can be brought to use in an extreme survival situation. Many extreme activity enthusiasts train their brain through repetition and visualisation in the hope that when parts of their body shut down under pressure the brain will go into autopilot to get them back to safety.

Many parts of the brain have impressive redundancy systems so that if one cellular system fails, a backup kicks in. However the idea that we only use 10 per cent of our brain is a myth – the reality is we aren’t sure and probably won’t ever be able to put a number to our brain usage.

The sport research on people surviving at extremes suggests that their superhuman ability is not as a result of genetics but of a lifetime of practice resulting in muscles and organs that seem perfectly adapted to inhuman environments.

The Ama believe that their body adapts to a more natural state through immersion in the ocean. If that is anything to go by any of us can train ourselves to be extreme athletes... if we choose.

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